Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1887-08-20


way TO Il, however, although felt the cold
Precipitation stnnd ont upon my forehead
IN the distance / heard hippopoIamua
splash family, then The owl booted again In
kind Of unnatural screaming note, and the
wind began to moan plaintively through the
trees, making heart chilling music, Above
yeas the black bosom Of the cloud, and
beneath me swept the black food OF the
water, and felt as though and death were
utterly alone between them 1t was very
desolato
Suddenly my blood seemed TO freeze IN my
veins and my heart to stand still Was It
fancy, or were we movingl / turned my
eyes to look for the other canoo, which should
be alongside Of us could not see IL, but In
stead saw a loan and eutching black hand
lifting itself above the gunwnle Of the little
boat Surely it was nightmare At the
same time q dim but deyilish looking face ap-
penrod TO rise out OF the water, and then
came lurch OF the canoe, quick flash. n. n
knife and nn awful yell from the WaSsNn
who was sleeping by my side tthe same'poor
fellow whose odor had been annoying mel,
and something warm spurted into my face.
lnan instant the spell was broken knew
that IT was no nightmare but that we were
attacked by swimming Nasal Snatching at
the first weapon which came to hand, which
happened to DO Unslopogans' battleax,
struck with all my force IN the direction in
which had seen the fash OF the knife The
blow fell upon mans arm, and, catching It
against the thick wooden gunwale Of the
canoe, completely severed 1t from tho body
just above the wrist As for its owner, no ut.
tered no sound or cry. Like &. ost he canle,
and like ghost be went, leaving behind him
bloody hand still grip ng great knife, or
rather short sword, that was buried in the
heart OF our poor servant
Instantly there arose a hubbub and cpnfu.
sion, and fancled rightly or wrongly, that
made out several dark heads gliding away
toward the right hand bank, whittier we
wero rapidly drifting, for the rope by which
We had been moored had boon severed with q
knife. As soon as had realized this fact,
also realized that the scheme had boon to cut
the boat loose. SO thai 1t should drift on to
tbs. light bank (as 1t would have done with
thenatural swing Of the current), where no
doubt party of Nasal were whiting to dig
their shovel headed spears into rs. SEEKING
one paddle myself, | told Umslopogaas to take
another for the remaining Askari was too
frightened and bewdered to DO Of any ,se),
and together we rowed vigorously out towap.
the middle OF the stream; and not an instant
too soon, for In another minnie we should
have boen aground, and then there would
have been an end OF US.
A$soon as we were well out, weset to work
to paddle the canoe up stream again to where
the other was moored; and very hard and
dangerous work It was in the dark, and with
nothing but the notes Of Goods stentorian
shouts, which he kept firing OFF at intervals
like fog horn, TO guide u.s. But at last we
fetched up, and were thankful to find that
they had not been molested at all. No doubt
the owner Of the same hand that severed our
rope should have severed theirs also but was
led away from his purpose by an irresistible
| inclination to murder when he got the chance,
which, while it cost US a man and him his
hand, undoubtedly saved all the rest Of US
from massacre. Had 1t not been for that
CHASTITY apparition over the side Of the boat
ON apparition that shall never forget till my
| dying hour-the canoe would undoubtedly
havo drifted ashore before realized what
had happened. and this history would never
naye been written ny me,
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